protection of Allen Dulles: Fritz Kolbe had had the good fortune never to be suspected by the Gestapo. He was very grateful to the Americans for having done everything to protect him during the war. “I had the privilege to collaborate now during years with two of your most distinguished diplomates [sic]. I have found them so cautious and discreet that none of the secrets my life depended on has been divulged.” “The Story of George.” “I am very grateful to my ‘partners’ in Bern for having done everything to prevent my being discovered. It must not always have been easy.” Autobiographical document written by Fritz Kolbe on May 15, 1945.
Fritz—came out of prison: Walter Bauer’s name had been found in the private diaries of some of the July 20 conspirators, such as Carl Goerdeler. He was jailed in the prison on Lehrterstrasse (Berlin-Moabit) and tortured. “Will he talk?” Fritz wondered anxiously. Biographical document by Gerald Mayer and Fritz Kolbe.
he could go home: Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Sankt Augustin. Walter Bauer Archives.
“emptied like toothpaste tubes”: Report by Vassili Grossman, quoted by Antony Beevor in The Fall of Berlin, 1945.
“be hit?” (April 24): Unpublished notebooks of Adolphe Jung.
Chapter 12
the destruction of documents: Episode reported in various documents, notably a memorandum written by Fritz Kolbe for the Swiss police, July 12, 1945 (personal archives of Fritz Kolbe, Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney) and the record of the hearing of Fritz Kolbe by the Swiss authorities, April 26, 1948 (Swiss Federal Archives, document kindly supplied by Peter Kamber). See also Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
secretly shipped to Bern: These secret shipments of gold to Bern are mentioned by Robert Kempner, American prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, in Das III. Reich im Kreuzverhör (p. 282): “700 kilos of gold were transferred to the German legation in Bern, with Ribbentrop’s approval, in the form of coins, in March 1945.” The building housing the German legation in Bern was placed under seal in May 1945. Swiss Federal Archives.
door in Fritz’s face: This series of visits to Otto Köcher is set out in detail in several documents from the personal archives of Fritz Kolbe: “The Background of the George Story”; letter from Fritz Kolbe to Walter Bauer, May 9, 1948; memorandum from Fritz Kolbe to Walter Bauer, August 4, 1950. Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney.
Ludwigsburg, north of Stuttgart: Ludwigsburg had been liberated by the French in April 1945, but had soon come into the American occupation zone, like the entire northern part of Würtemberg.
“His name: Fritz Kolbe”: “Köcher supposed that [the withdrawal of Swiss protection] was due to American influence provoked by George. This suspicion was told by him as a fact to the many German diplomats concentrated with him in the camp, and this was the reason for considering George responsible for the death of Köcher in the eyes of many of his colleagues.” “The Background of the George Story.”
confident about his future: “How full of confidence he was about the future after the war!” wrote Maria Fritsch many years later. Letter from Maria Fritsch to Peter Kolbe, May 31, 1978. Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney.
again at the ministry: Memorandum from “George Wood,” April 17, 1945, National Archives. Opinion of Fritz Kolbe on the members of the Foreign Ministry in late March 1945. Kolbe had filled several sheets of paper with the names of the principal diplomats in the ministry. A red star in front of a name meant “particularly dangerous” (besonders gefährlich). A blue star meant “not a member of the Nazi Party” (nicht Pg). A classification into four categories specified matters. The figure 1 meant “immediate expulsion desirable (sofortige Entfernung erwünscht), affecting 79 people. The figure 2 meant “expulsion in the near future desirable” (54 people). 3: “can be employed again on a trial basis after a warning” (84 people). 4: anti-Nazi (24 people mentioned, including Willy Pohle, Karl Dumont, Gertrud von Heimerdinger, and a few people in the ciphering office and the diplomatic courier service). Karl Ritter was in category 1 with a red star.
“The Story of George”: This undated document is sometimes in the first person, sometimes in the third. It recounts the principal events in Fritz Kolbe’s life as a spy. It contains the following noteworthy passage: “All these details of his adventures in fighting the Nazis we had to extract from his friends, because George himself dislikes publicity and surrounds himself by a wall of modesty.” The document is in Fritz Kolbe’s personal archives as well as in the National Archives.
banks of the Tegernsee: Eva Braun committed suicide on April 30, 1945 with Adolf Hitler, whom she had married the day before, in the underground bunker of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin.
headed toward Kreuth: Memorandum of prelate Schreiber about a trip to Bavaria from June 2 to 6 with Fritz Kolbe and an American officer. See also memorandum from Ernst Kocherthaler to Allen Dulles, June 8, 1945, National Archives. The Gauleiter of Munich was Paul Giesler, designated by Hitler as the successor to Heinrich Himmler in the final hours of the war.
June 14, 1945: The circumstances of Ribbentrop’s arrest were bizarre. In Hamburg, the British had arrested someone who they were not sure was the former foreign minister. They confronted him with his sister, Ingeborg Ribbentrop, who immediately recognized him and could not help crying out “Joachim!” Hans-Jürgen Döscher, Verschworene Gesellschaft (Berlin, 1995).
the OSS in Germany: Peter Sichel, interview in New York, May 25, 2002.
time to General Donovan: General Donovan met “George Wood” several times thereafter and seemed to appreciate him. In a letter of March 16, 1949 to Allen Dulles, he wrote: “I am returning your letter from ‘George.’ I would like to see him again when he gets there.” Allen W. Dulles Papers.
the British secret services: “Usually skeptical and conservative British officials rated this contact as the prize intelligence source of the war.” Memorandum for the President, June 22, 1945, sent to President Truman by General Donovan, National Archives (entry 190c, MF1642, roll 83).
the plot against Hitler: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, July 2, 1945, Wiesbaden. Personal archives of Fritz Kolbe. Gerstenmaier was the representative of the Protestant bishop of Würtemberg in Berlin. He frequented the Kreisau Circle, one of the centers of opposition to the Nazi regime implicated in the July 20 plot. “Gerstenmaier was the kind of man who would have a Bible in one hand and a revolver in the other.” Peter Sichel, interview in Bordeaux, December 1, 2001.
hesitation in saying so: “The role played by the Protestant and Catholic Churches in the fight against Hitler was large but should not be overestimated. In no sense did the Churches have a monopoly in the combat against fascism. To grant them that role today would amount to favoring the creation of a clerical government in Germany,” Fritz Kolbe wrote in a document on the “question of the Churches” (zur Kirchenfrage) written in Wiesbaden, July 9, 1945. Personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
of the Nazi regime: Hans-Bernd Gisevius went to live in the United States after the war. He worked for a think tank in Dallas, the Dallas Council on World Affairs. Presented as a great German resistance figure in the American press, he was considered an inveterate liar by the German press. Der Spiegel no. 18 (1960); Allen W. Dulles Papers.
US Army C-47: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, Wiesbaden, July 2, 1945, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe. See also Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
at the Charité hospital: In March and April 1945, “we lived on Scotch whiskey and Swedish crackers in the Charité shelter,” according to the memoirs of Ferdinand Sauerbruch.
in the Soviet zone: In May 1945, Professor Sauerbruch was named by the Soviets as director of health in the city administration. But in October of the same year, he was dismissed from all his political offices. In December 1949, he was removed from his medical and teaching posts in the Charité and in Humboldt University. Afflicted with a cerebral ailment, he nevertheless continued to operate almost until the end of his life. Several patients did not survive in the operating room.
He died on July 2, 1951 at the age of seventy-six after publishing a book of memoirs that was a best-seller in Germany.
had returned to France: Adolphe Jung returned to Strasbourg, where he had a great deal of difficulty in reestablishing himself, because he was suspected of collaboration with the Germans. He asked for help from the Americans, but they could not do much to help the surgeon save his reputation. The wounds of the past are still very much alive in Strasbourg. Postwar correspondence between Adolphe Jung and Allen Dulles, Allen W. Dulles Papers; interview with Frank and Marie-Christine Jung and Pierre Kehr, Strasbourg, January 2003.
had not completely disappeared: Throughout 1945, Nazi commandos continued to create anxiety and insecurity in Germany. The terrorist groups were known as Werewolves. See handwritten notes of Ernst Kocherthaler, April 10, 1945, National Archives.
recalling the year 1945: Document written by Maria Fritsch in October 1972, private archives of Martin and Gudrun Fritsch, Berlin.
CARE packages containing food: CARE (Cooperative American Remittance for Europe) packages made it possible to avoid the rationing in force in Germany. They were distributed in Europe beginning in the spring of 1946.
medicine, or a job: Getting a pass required going through an obstacle course for everyone who did not have connections with the occupation authorities. To go from Berlin to Hamburg, for example, one needed an “interzone” pass, which was good for only one round trip and could not be obtained without a “favorable opinion” from the military authorities.
working for the conquerors: The details of Fritz’s work for the OMGUS are found in a letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, December 29, 1945, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
become common insults: In German, Aliiertenknecht and Vaterlandsverräter.
she was deeply hurt: The family of Maria Fritsch (from the petite bourgeoisie; one of her brothers owned a grocery store in Berlin) were hugely suspicious of Fritz but nonetheless came to see him for provisions supplied by the Americans, which they sold on the black market. Interview with Maria’s nephew Martin Fritsch, Berlin, January 5, 2002.
“transportation firms,” he said: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, National Archives.
major German political figures: For example, Fritz Kolbe interviewed Kurt Schumacher for Tagesspiegel in the spring of 1946. Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, April 1, 1946, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
von Hornstein, a painter: “Fritz Kolbe was a mysterious person but he was full of life and spirit. There was incredible energy in his face. We knew that he was working for the CIA. He helped me get a pass so I could go to Bavaria with my two year old baby, who was ill with tuberculosis.” Interview with Erika von Hornstein, October 27, 2001, Berlin.
Felicitas von Reznicek: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, July 28, 1945, National Archives. Felicitas von Reznicek, a friend of Gertrud von Heimerdinger, was a journalist and the author of successful novels and screenplays for crime films.
him with electric trains: Letter from Tom Polgar, May 13, 2002. Tom Polgar was to spend the rest of his career in the CIA, notably directing the Vietnamese branch during the war years. He was one of the last American citizens to leave Saigon in April 1975.
Party in the East: The forced merger of the SPD and the SED took place on April 21 and 22, 1946.
war against the USSR: Erika von Hornstein, interview, October 27, 2001, Berlin.
and several broken ribs: Letter from Maria Fritsch to Ernst Kocherthaler, August 23, 1945, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe; Morgan, “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
by DeWitt C. Poole: Like Dulles, DeWitt C. Poole was a Princeton graduate. Posted as a diplomat to Moscow during the Russian Revolution, he had been involved in a planned assassination attempt against Lenin. He was violently anticommunist and also adopted a hard line against Germany.
to begin in Nuremberg: The trial of the Nazi leaders had been in preparation since late 1942. The establishment of a commission called on to judge the German leaders was announced in November 1943. In August 1945, the statute for the tribunal was adopted in London by the three principal Allies: the United States, England, and the USSR. The Nuremberg tribunal opened its doors in November 1945 and sentences were pronounced on October 1, 1946. Among other Nazi leaders, Joachim von Ribbentrop was executed by hanging on October 16, 1946 in a Nuremberg gymnasium.
“pride,” Peter Sichel recalled: This testimony mildly contradicts Edward P. Morgan, who quotes the following statement by Fritz Kolbe: “I won a lot of trophies, but I never took one of them. I do things for the sake of doing them. That is enough. I don’t like trophies or medals or uniforms.” “The Spy the Nazis Missed.”
of the Poole commission: Fritz Kolbe was questioned by Harold C. Vedeler. The transcripts of the conversations, declassified since 1963, are on microfilm in the National Archives (M679, roll 2).
had to remain secret: An official document of the Nuremberg tribunal attests that Fritz Kolbe “has worked as an investigator for the War Crimes Commission from July 23, 1945 until this date. Subject has given outstanding service and is to be highly commended for the efficient and tactful manner in which he handled his assignments.” War Crimes Commission, document dated December 15, 1945, Peter Kolbe collection, Sydney.
Allies during the war: Letter of William Donovan to Allen Dulles, June 29, 1946, Allen W. Dulles Papers. At the time, Allen Dulles had left the OSS to return to the practice of law in New York. The OSS itself no longer existed. The office had been renamed SSU (for Strategic Services Unit) before becoming the CIA in September 1947. The OSS had been dismantled in October 1945 by President Truman, who feared the rise to power of an American-style “secret police.”
is no longer safe: Letter from Allen Dulles to William Donovan, July 8, 1946, Allen W. Dulles Papers. The possibility of a kidnapping of Fritz Kolbe can be understood in the context of the time. It was not infrequent in postwar Berlin for people to “disappear” mysteriously. The journalist Dieter Friede was kidnapped in the fall of 1947. Walter Linse, a jurist and defender of human rights, was kidnapped in July 1952 and executed by the Soviets a few months later
the Americans in Berlin?: Peter Sichel believes that this evaluation by Dulles “was probably a little exaggerated.” Interview with Peter Sichel, May 25, 2002, New York.
in the State Department: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Ernst Kocherthaler, June 1947, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
from the United States: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Allen Dulles, March 1, 1948, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
the American immigration authorities: After the German surrender, Allied soldiers did not have the right to communicate with German civilians. This policy of “non-fraternization” was not rescinded until mid-July 1945.
the course of 1947: Allen Dulles wondered what “George” could possibly be able to do in the United States, but he was prepared to help him in his plans. Correspondence between Fred Stalder and Allen Dulles, Allen W. Dulles Papers. The questions about Fritz were sent to Dulles by his Washington colleagues on November 21, 1947. National Archives.
submitted in New York: Affidavit notarized on January 15, 1948 by John. W. P. Slobadin, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
event of any difficulties: Affidavit notarized on April 26, 1948, same notary, Allen W. Dulles Papers. See also a letter from Richard Helms to Allen Dulles, April 21, 1948: “For your information, George has earned from us since 1945 the sum of $6,199.25. This is in addition to the 20,000 Swiss Francs which you left for him in Switzerland.” Allen W. Dulles Papers.
days of the war: Letter from Ernst Kocherthaler to Allen Dulles, October 8, 1945, National Archives.
just established in Zurich: Curriculum vitae prepared by Fritz Kolbe after the war, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
was in full swing: The Berlin blockade lasted from June 1948 to May 1949.
or a research assistant: Letter from Allen Dulles to Fritz Kolbe, April 1949, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
“difficulties,” he told him: Letter from Walter Bauer to Fritz Kolbe, May 21, 1949, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
Standard Oil or Texaco: Letter from Ernst Kocherthaler to Fritz Kolbe, June 7, 1949, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
Fritz’s capital of $25,000: Correspondence between Fritz Kolbe and Allen Dulles, personal archives of Fritz Kolbe; correspondence between Allen Dulles and Ernst Kocherthaler, Allen W. Dulles Papers. The CIA had offered Fritz the sum of $25,000 on his arrival on American soil (in addition to the 20,000 Swiss francs deposited by Allen Dulles in a trust account in Switzerland). Hansjakob Stehle, “Der Mann, der den Krieg verkürzen wollte,” Die Zeit, May 2, 1986.
a few months later: Letter from Allen Dulles to Ernst Kocherthaler, November 28, 1949, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
not a businessman type: Letter from Ernst Kocherthaler to Allen Dulles, January 27, 1953, Allen W. Dulles Papers.
on May 9, 1949: Personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
based in Frankfurt: Walter Bauer had a leading position in the embryonic economic administration in the land of Hesse, and he participated in the European negotiations on coal and steel. He was an insider who knew everyone. On several occasions, Chancellor Adenauer offered him a ministerial position, which he refused. He was one of the important figures in the employers’ organizations (the BDI), where he represented the interests of the textile industry. Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Sankt Augustin, Walter Bauer file.
the Social Democratic Party: Letter from Fritz Kolbe to Carlo Schmid, June 13, 1949 (and answer from Schmid’s office, August 17, 1949); letter of application to the Marshall Plan administration, July 11, 1949; letter from the head office of the SPD to Fritz Kolbe, October 18, 1949. Personal archives of Fritz Kolbe.
A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich: The Extraordinary Story of Fritz Kolbe, America's Most Important Spy in World War II Page 34
